Barton l



(No Model.)

B. L. BLAIR.

- BASE BALL MASK.

No. 432,970. Patented July 29, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BARTON L. BLAIR, OF ROCHESTER, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO LAFAYETTE H. \VAGONER AND CHARLES C. BEAIIAN, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

BASE-BALL MASK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,970, dated July 29, 1890.

Application filed November 8, 1889. Serial No. 329,640. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern; end is attached to a V-shaped piece of wire Be it known that I, BARTON L. BLAIR, of 10, having its ends passed through the loops the city of Rochester, county of Monroe and or eyes 3 in the main frame and secured by State of New York, have invented certain being bent over, and at its central forward 5 new and useful Improvements in Base-Ball portion is formed a loop or eye 11, through 55 Masks; and I do hereby declare the followwhich eye the end of backbone 8 is passed, ing to be a full, clear, and exact description being bent over, as at the upper portion. of the same, reference being had to the accom- This lower brace 10 throws the lower end of panying drawings, forming part of this specithe backbone outward away from the users 1o fication, and to figures of reference marked face, leaving the lower portion of the frame 60 thereon. 1 projecting below and acting as a throat- My present invention has for its object to guard. provide an improved mask for the use of The cross wires or strips 12, near the upper base-ball players which shall be simple and and lower ends of the central stiffening-piece I 5 cheap in construction and strong enough to 8, are of approximately V shape with their 65 stand all the hard usage to which such artiends looped through eyes 4: and 6, and are cles are subjected without liability of becomprovided with central loops 13, interlocked 111g broken and of coming apart, or of the with eyes or loops 9 in said piece 8, these two parts slipping on each other, so as to allow loops preventing all movement and holding the mask to be knocked out of shape; and to the parts firmly.

these ends it consists in certain novelties of The central cross or guard wires 1..t 15,which construction and combinations of parts, all as respectively come above and below the eyes will be hereinafter described, and the novel of the wearer, are preferably bent, as shown, features of construction pointed out in the so as not to obstruct vision, the central porclaims at the end of this specification. tion of each being formed with a loop or eye 75 In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective 16, engaging the eyes 9 in the piece 8, while view of a mask constructed in accordance their outer ends are passed through the eyes with my invention; Fig. 2, a view of the main 5 in the main frame, preferably from the rear, frame; Fig. 3, aview of the front portion bent around the outer side of the frame to the before the cushion-supports are formed; Fig. rear again, then parallel, or approximately so, 8a

4, a section on the line or no of Fig. 1. with the main frame, forming cushion-rests Slmilar figures of reference in the several 17, their outer ends being attached to the figures denote similar parts. main frame by being looped around 1t, as

In forming my improved mask I first form shown. It will be understood from the above a loop or main frame 1 of a single piece of that the cushion-rests are formed bythe ends 85 wire with the ends joined, as at 2, a series of of the wires 14 and 15,and that the wires 14 are loops or eyes 3, L, 5, 6, and 7 being formed thcrebent upward and wires 15 downward,as shown, in, all of them, except the loops 5, being at though I do not desire to be confined to the substantially right angles to the plane of said feature of necessarily forming these rests frame, while loops 5one pair arranged on from extensions of the guard-wires. Suitable or. each side-proj ect in substantially the plane cushions 18 are attached to the rests 17, either of said frame or parallel therewith. The front by sewing or by wire loops 19, as shown. or guarding portion of the mask consists of 20 represents the strap, elastic or otherwise, a central piece or backbone 8, formed of a passing around the users head and holding single piece of heavy wire or similar material the mask in position, the cushions'resting 95 formed with a series of loops 9 therein, to against his face in the ordinary manner. which the cross wires are attached, the upper The wires 12 and 1% are tied together by end of said backbone being attached to the small links or loops 21, arranged, preferably, loop 7 of frame 1 by being passed through it over the center of the sight-openings, and

and turned over, as shown, while the lower wires 10, 12, and 14 are secured and braced I00 by wires 22, having the eyes at the center, securing them to wire 12, and the loops at the ends embracing the others.

The mask as a'whole is well braced, and the parts being fastened by interlocking loops or eyesit cannot be knocked out of shape, as can those in which the intersecting wires are merely soldered together, and, furthermore, will effectually protect the wearer. By forming the central stiffening-piece with the loops or eyes 9, particularl those through which the wires 14 and 15 are passed, the openings. between the wires cannot be enlarged by a base-ball wedging between them and injuring the user; but they will be held in position all the time, and while it is desirable that the loops 10 be formed in these cross-wires I do not desire to be confined to this construction, as they could in some forms of mask be dispensed with. A further advantage of this construction is that the ends of all the cross-wires have a firm bearing on the main frame by reason of the loops 3, 4, (3, and 7, said ends resting against the two portions of the frame atthe bottom of the loop, and the wires 14c and 15, by being bent around, as shown, through the eyes 5, have a firm bearing, so that endwise thrust upon them will not tend to separate them, but will come upon-the main frame and the cushions attached to it.

In forming the mask I prefer to form the main frame 1 as in Fig. 2, and then form the loops in the central wire 8, and attach and form the cross-pieces thereon, leaving the ends of wires 14 and 15 straight, as in Fig. 3. Then I insert the part shown in the latter figure through the main frame from the rear, With the ends of wires 14. and 15 projecting through eyes 5 5, and securethe ends of the central and transverse wires 14 and 15 around to form the cushion-seats, as shown.

The,tying-wires and lower guard 10 may be put on at any time after the other parts are in place.

While I have described this mask as made of wire, it is obvious that strips of any mate rial could be employed.

- I claim as my invention- 1. In a mask, the combination of the main frame having a series of loops or eyes formed thereinat the sides, with a series of transverse wires having their ends secured to the eyes on the main frame, substantially as described.

2. In a mask, the combination, with the main frame, of a stiffening front piece having a series of loops or eyes formed therein and a series of transverse wires passing through the loops in the front piece and secured to the main frame, substantially as described.

3. In a mask, the combination, with the main frame having the series of loops or eyes formed therein at the sides, of a stiffening front piece having a series of loops and a series of transverse wires passing through the loops in the front piece and secured to the loops inthe main frame, substantially as described.

4. In a mask, the combination, with the main frame, of a stiffening front piece having a series of loops and a series of transverse wires formed with loops or eyes interlocking with described.

6.-In a mask, the combination, with the main frame having the loops or eyes atthe sides, of the transverse wires extending across the front of the mainframe, with their ends passing through said eyes and bent to form cushionrests, substantially as described.

7. In a mask, the combination, with the main frame having the laterally-projecting loops or eyes at the sides, of the. transverse Wires extending across the front of the frame, with their ends projectin through said eyes and bent to form cushion-rests, substantially as described.

BARTON Ii. BLAIR.

IVitnesses:

FRED F. CHURCH, S. E. TRUE. 

